Vehicle air conditioning (A/C) systems are closed heat exchange systems designed to function with a specific refrigerant as the primary heat exchange medium. In the past, dichlorodifluoromethane, commonly referred to as R-12, was the refrigerant most commonly used in vehicle A/C systems. However, due to the ozone depleting effects of R-12 on the earth's atmosphere, vehicle A/C systems were eventually converted from using R-12 to using tetrafluoroethane, commonly referred to as R-134a. In recent years, continuing concerns over global warming resulted in the adoption of new requirements in Europe and other countries that, for example, required development of a new class of refrigerants having a lower global warming potential (GWP) than that of R-134a. In response, 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, or R-1234yf, and difluoroethane, or R-152a, were recently developed, which have significantly lower GWPs than R-134a and a significantly shorter atmospheric lifetime. In turn, some auto manufacturers have announced intentions to begin adopting the more environmentally friendly refrigerants to replace R-134a in newer model cars, which will be phased in on new vehicle platforms over a period of several years.
Refrigerant recovery units are used for the maintenance and servicing of vehicle A/C systems, which may include, for example, the recovery, evacuation, recycling and/or recharging of the refrigerant in the A/C systems. A refrigerant recovery unit may be a portable system that connects to the A/C system of a vehicle to recover refrigerant out of the system, separate out contaminants and oil, and/or recharge the A/C system with additional refrigerant Because of the extreme variation in the properties of the different types of refrigerants, each refrigerant recovery unit is designed for use with a specific refrigerant.
Accordingly, an industry conversion from use of one refrigerant, e.g., R-134a, to use of a different refrigerant, e.g., R-1234yf, presents extreme challenges for those that service vehicle A/C systems. In particular, because refrigerant recovery units are often complex and expensive, and the phase in period of a new refrigerant will occur over a period of many years, a service provider is often forced to predict when over the lifecycle of the phase in period it is most prudent to make a capital investment in a new recovery unit for servicing vehicles with the new refrigerant. For example, a service provider may have a growing, thriving business in servicing vehicle A/C systems and would like to purchase an additional refrigerant recovery unit to meet the growing demand. Purchasing a new recovery unit designed for the old refrigerant might enable the service provider to meet today's growing demand for vehicles using the old refrigerant. However, the service provider may resist making the investment knowing that the unit will eventually become obsolete as most vehicles convert to using the new refrigerant. The service provider may, instead, invest in a new recovery unit designed for the new refrigerant, sacrificing the ability to grow and profit today for the ability to meet a growing demand in the future.
A need exists for methods and systems that will provide the capability to easily and effectively convert a refrigerant recovery unit designed for use with one refrigerant to use with a different refrigerant.